The U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Mike Waltz, and Democratic Congressman Mark Pocan had a tense exchange on Wednesday during a hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, characterized by deep differences regarding Washington's policy toward Cuba and the recent State Department report on the island.
One of the most awkward moments for Waltz came when he admitted that he had not fully read the 95-page document published on July 20, titled "Cuba: The Capital of 21st Century Communism".
"I haven't read the full report, but as a native of Florida, I am familiar with the adversarial actions of the Cuban regime," the ambassador replied.
Pocan did not miss the opportunity.
"I did read it. I highlighted it. I felt I needed to put on The Kinks and The Who in the background because everything here is from the 60s and 70s and then there’s a huge leap to the present," the legislator joked. In a statement, Pocan made the same references.
The Democratic representative, who visited Cuba from July 9 to 13 along with three other congressmen, strongly criticized both the report and the United States' sanctions policy towards the island.
During the hearing, he claimed to have found "a country without electricity or basic needs" and described hospitals where, as he stated, surgeons were finishing surgeries using the light from their mobile phones due to prolonged blackouts.
Pocan also questioned the effectiveness of more than six decades of embargo.
"Have we moved closer to democracy? Have we improved human rights? The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, expecting a different result," he stated.
In addition, he stated that U.S. restrictions hinder the arrival of medical supplies to Cuba and held Washington responsible for part of the humanitarian crisis he observed during his visit.
Waltz defends Washington's policy
Waltz rejected the criticisms and defended the sanctions as a tool to limit the international influence of the Cuban regime.
He also disagreed with the use of the term "blockade."
"A blockade is a ring of warships," he responded, denying that this definition is applicable to U.S. policy towards Cuba.
The ambassador stated that the sanctions have helped prevent the regime from "expanding its revolution, its communism, and its anti-American revolution across the Western Hemisphere."
At another point in the exchange, Waltz warned Pocan that he hoped his visits to Cuba would not be used "as propaganda for the Cuban regime."
A debate that continues to grow in Washington
The confrontation occurred just two days after the publication of the State Department report on Cuba, a document that has sparked mixed reactions both inside and outside Congress.
Before the hearing, Pocan described the text as "the most stupid, fantastical, and biased" thing he has read from a U.S. government agency and asserted that it aligns with the political agenda promoted by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
For his part, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez dismissed the report, calling it a "slanderous pamphlet."
Meanwhile, Congresswomen Delia Ramírez and Maxine Dexter, who also participated in the recent visit to Cuba, announced that they will promote legislative initiatives to reduce the humanitarian impact of U.S. sanctions on the Cuban population.
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